piroshok

Honestly I think using EVOO is an overkill I will reserve for more delectable or finer foods I grew up with olive oil, good wine and good beef but as far as oils there was no other in my old country but that's my personal opinion.

I totally agree, the few times I used my fancy olive oil the flavor was too strong. That is what prompted me to try vegetable, canola, and corn, but Steve's recommendation of the mild Classico has the perfect amount of flavor from what I have found. I have since come to the conclusion that I prefer the texture of crusts with no oil at all, but I am usually cooking at 750-800.

I use a good quality grocery store extra light olive oil (Carapelli, Philip Berio, etc.), but I've learned to rely on it for a hint of flavor, because it does burn (or taste burned) in my experience. It's never rancid. Refined canola oil and extra light OO have about the same smoke points, with the OO being slightly higher, but I have no idea whether or not this applies to baking (as opposed to deep frying, say).

My recollection from posts by Marco and Settebello is that in Naples the predominant use of oils is seed oils, like sunflower oil and soybean oil. In good measure this appears to be because of mild flavors and lower cost. While you were in and around Naples did you observe this and, if so, what was your reaction? I know you are a big lover of EVOO.

Yes, they were using seed oil's anywhere I could see the cans, or I asked. With the amazing tomatoes/cheese they had in Naples, the seed oil on top did not really matter much. Still the best pizza I have ever had in my life.

I would still suggest Rene use a mild oil IN here crust, but a high quality olive oil on TOP of the pizza is my favorite.

I'm having a bit of trouble accepting that the olive oil is burning and the canola oil isn't. Especially since olive oil has such a high smoke point and canola oil such a low one.

[Not meaning to be disputatious, but that's only true if you're comparing the smoke points of unrefined canola oil to unrefined OO (EVOO) or refined canola oil to refined OO (Extra light): according to CookingforEngineers.com, the smoke point of EVOO is 320° F* while the smoke point of refined canola oil is 400°, so if you're comparing the smoke points of EVOO and refined canola oil, EVOO has a low smoke point and canola oil a high one.

* OliveOilSource.com lists the smoke point of EVOO between 320 and 425° F, depending on its acidity.

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Anyone have any guesses about what might be going-on?

Most likely, it's impurities in the OO burning off.

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When an eel bites your eye and the pain makes you cry, that's a Moray.

Having read more about olive oil, I don't see much point in using extra-light "tasting" olive oil. It seems to be overpriced vegetable oil (okay, olives are a fruit, but you get the point). Extra-light seems to cost more because it says "olive oil" on the label, but the flavor really isn't there, IMHO. For the record, I HATE olives. If going for the cheap olive oil, with very little flavor to begin with, why use any?

The reason I use a little with the canola oil is that it imparts a bit of flavor to the otherwise neutral canola. I don't find the extra light tasteless at all. I do like olive oil, but the higher grades are too overpowering in a pizza, IMO. I have, however, used "olive oil" (probably the 3rd or 4th pressing), which is O.K., too.

I have used Bertolli Classico Olive Oil and the Wal-mart brand of Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and I very much prefer the Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil to them all. It just has more flavor and makes a stronger showing in my pizza. I also use minimal amounts and want to maximize the flavor detection.

Hi, I took a pizza baking class from general mills offered at the pizza expo Las Vegas, according to the the speaker there is no difference in taste in a crust, whether you use olive oil or canola. The oil in pizza crust is a lubricant, it can also help with with extensibility, create tenderness and some browning effect. The most important part seemed to be the keeping quality. The oil can help preserve a pizza kept under heat lamps, a.k.a.Sabarros. So with all this being said i still use extra virgin olive oil in my crusts. I Love the stuff, i would use it as a moisturizer on my face if it wouldnt offend people.

I use different vegetable oils for the dough and/or cooking, and olive oil for topping food,salads, or for garlic bread.Olive oil is great for flavor but has a low burning point and could really screw up a pizza when exposed to high temps.